ZHONGSHAN, Guangdong Province: Towns in this city have gone from strength to strength.

Zhongshan's Guzhen town will hold the fifth China (Guzhen) International Lighting Fair from October 18 to 23, when the 100th Chinese Export Commodities Fair is on in Guangzhou, provincial capital of Guangdong.

The town of Guzhuen has been named "China's lighting capital" for its high yield of lighting products and big market share home and abroad.

Sponsored by the Zhongshan municipal government, China Illumination and Electrical Appliance Association, and the Light Industry Sub-Council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the fair is expected to attract more than 700 exhibitors.

The China (Guzhen) International Lighting Fair, debuted in 1999, has been held annually ever since.

A total of 445 exhibitors, 55,620 professional buyers from 99 countries and regions worldwide were present at the previous session of the fair last October.

The fair helped the town rake in domestic trade of 4.5 billion yuan (US$554.87 million); export deals worth US$216 million and capital inputs of 1.58 billion yuan (US$195.31 million) last year.

The National Health Technology Park of the Zhongshan Torch High-Tech Industrial Development Zone is also to initiate a grand forum on health and development later this year.

The forum, or Zhongshan Forum, will make its debut in November, aiming to boost development of the health economy industry.

Many enterprises in medicine, health, food, healthcare products, as well as hospitals and other related facilities will attend the forum.

The national health technology park was established in April 1994, which was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Guangdong provincial government and Zhongshan municipal government.

It covers an area of 13.5 square kilometres, of which 1.8 square kilometres have been developed and three square kilometres are now under construction.

A large medicine logistics centre has been set up in the park to improve medicine distribution channels. And a post-doctorate work station has been founded to explore new ideas for production, education and research.

Foreign companies including Merck-Appotec Pharmaceuticals, Wedgewood Technology and Grunenthal have set up investment projects there. The park's industrial output value hits 4.39 billion yuan (US$541.31 million).

Meanwhile, Zhongshan's Shaxi town will spare no efforts to promote the development of its textile and garment industry, which has become its pillar industry, and gear up efforts to develop equipment manufacturing, medicine and electronic industry for an optimized economic structure, according to Liu Yueming, an official with the town government.

Shaxi will also step up development of its tertiary industry, particularly tourism and real estate, Liu added.

The official said the town would pour generous funds into improvement of its investment climate.

The town realized a gross domestic product of 3.4 billion yuan (US$419.73 million) in 2005, up 20.2 per cent from 2004.

And over 150 foreign-funded enterprises have set up operations there.

Xiaolan, another well developed town in Zhongshan, recently decided to develop the cultural and art industry in the wake of its well-developed manufacturing industry.

The town government recently revamped a middle school into a base for this purpose and has made great efforts to popularize culture and art heritage in the town.

Editor: Yan